Chicken coop tour benefits Lachat Farm in Weston

The Friends of Lachat are organizing The Hidden Chicken Coops of Weston Tour, with all proceeds to benefit the restoration of the Lachat Farm, co-owned by the town and the Nature Conservancy.

The self-guided tour will be on Sunday, June 23. Tickets and maps may be picked up at Lachat Farm, 106 Godfrey Road West, from 10 to 1 on the day of the tour. The tour will go until 4.

Tickets include a farm-to-table seasonal lunch buffet at the home of Weston caterer Phoebe Cole. Ticket prices are $20 for adults and $8 for children.

“We hope the tour will be educational, community building, and fun for old and young alike — all qualities that represent our vision for Lachat Farm,” said Carol Baldwin, Friends of Lachat director.

The tour will feature coops set in beautiful flower and vegetable gardens tended by Weston backyard farmers. There will be all different styles of coops on display from large to small, homemade to purchased.

Owners will be on hand to offer tips on how to have your own backyard flock.

Included on the tour will be the Fagan family’s Roots Farm, with 50 newly hatched baby chicks.

Also, get a glimpse into Weston’s past with a visit to the historic Manatuck Farm, 96 Norfield Road. This circa 1795 homestead features, besides its chickens, an old barn, potting shed, and lovely gardens.

And, there will be newer farms, such as the large vegetable garden and coop installed by a family of modern day homesteaders, the Fracasso family, on Wells Hill Road.

Friends of Lachat is actively raising funds to restore the circa 1770 pre-Revolutionary David Godfrey farmhouse that is part of the town’s Juliana Lachat Preserve on Godfrey Road West. The friends’ vision is to have a town farm on the property, including community rental plots with deer-fencing and water, and a production garden with a farm stand — and, of course, a laying flock with farm fresh eggs available to the public.

For more information, contact Carol Baldwin at [email protected] or visit friendsoflachat.org.